Workshops

Workshop matrix

Workshop descriptions

Tracks and Concurrent Sessions

Track 1: Water, Energy and Climate Change

Find new ways to protect and restore rivers and watersheds in a rapidly changing world. This track will explore the major opportunities you and your community have to save water and energy together, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting climate change.

Track 2: Restoring Cold-Water Streams

Develop projects to minimize the impacts of human activity to benefit cold-water fishes. Participants will learn principles of ecological restoration, assessment and prioritization, how to monitor and modify culverts and stream barriers, how to use bioengineering techniques, and how to secure permits, state funding and community support. Speakers are practicing scientists, engineers and restorationists active in the recovery of salmonids. Office hours will be available to address specific problems and projects.

Track 3: Watershed Health Assessment

How does a river work? How can you design and execute a watershed assessment that includes cultural uses of water, as well as, sound science? Workshops will focus on ways to design your assessment to inform local decision-makers, find crucial watershed information without getting your feet wet and how to find "the story" in your monitoring data.

Track 4: Implementing Federal Water Quality Laws

This track covers the basic tools of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, as well as, addressing advanced CWA tools and their applications for watershed advocates. These laws were written with strong emphases on citizen involvement, and it is up to us to make them work well in our watersheds!

Track 5: Rivers and Community Health

Investigate the links between water pollution and pathways of human exposure. The link can be either direct, such as when people swim in contaminated water or eat contaminated fish, or indirect through polluted groundwater. All of us-including those living closest to the land such as tribes and impoverished communities-bear the brunt of these impacts and need to know how to break these potentially deadly links.

Track 6: Education and Communication

Find out how to implement effective watershed education programs for all ages. If we aren't communicating effectively, we can't educate. And if we aren't educating, we aren't doing our jobs. Participants will learn about effective methods to generate community support for river conservation.

Track 7: Organizing Strategies

Organizing is the art of recognizing what is possible and making it happen. Learn how to harness the resources of your community and become a catalyst for environmental change. This track includes a talking circle for new and returning participants in the Indigenous Waters Network and other networking sessions.

Track 8: Fundraising - Basic and Advanced

Learn how to raise cash through parties and pledges, memberships and partnerships. You'll find new ways to raise money and build sustainability for your organization. You can choose to attend basic workshops if you are new to the field or advanced sessions if you are a more experienced fundraiser. Don't miss these great sessions and opportunities for office hours with fundraising resource people!

Track 9: Starting Up

Plans and budgets and boards - Oh My! With what you learn in this track, a little heart and a lot of courage, you'll become a wizard at creating a sustainable and effective watershed organization. Follow this yellow brick track on a journey through the basics of "starting up" your group and moving it forward.

Track 10: Leading Strong Organizations

For the seasoned leader or staff of an established organization who need to keep growing and developing personal and professional skills. You will work with the most experienced professionals, meet others facing similar challenges and have time with mentors and coaches.

Rally workshop matrix

While we strive to keep our promises, the reality is that Rally details are constantly changing and evolving (much like, appropriately, a river. Therefore, while we invite you to explore the matrix of Rally workshops, please bear in mind that changes will happen, and that we'll keep the latest information posted here.